Declan Rice’s recent comments have caused uproar amongst some West Ham fans, while others claim they should be proud of his achievements.

While everyone knew it was only a matter of time until Declan Rice left West Ham, that didn’t make it any easier to watch him go. The fact that he left for London rivals Arsenal though left a bitter taste in some fan’s mouths.

Overall, he has been respectful when speaking about his former employers since signing for the Gunners for £105 million, but his latest comments have caused controversy.

“I’ve been playing consistently well throughout the season,” Rice confirmed. “My position has changed a lot this season from when I was at West Ham and it is closer to what Southgate wants here at England.” 

It is factually incorrect for him to say he is playing a drastically different position for Arsenal than he was at the London Stadium. After all, it was one of fans biggest complaints that Soucek was playing poorly due to playing deeper than Rice. This has resulted in those who were already unhappy with the midfielder to become even more irritated with him.

On the other side of things though, a lot of fans believe that everyone should be happy for him, and that him captaining England is only a good thing for the Irons.

“That one of our Academy of Football graduates will captain England on Tuesday should be a source of huge pride for everyone associated with West Ham,” West Ham media man Rob Pritchard posted on X. “Yes, he wears a different club shirt now, but he learned his trade and grew from boy to man with us. Congrats Declan Rice.”

There is no doubt that the Englishman is one of the greatest talents this club has ever produced, which really is saying something. What he has achieved at West Ham and afterwards is truly remarkable. It is understandable why some fans can’t bring themselves to forgive him for joining the North London side, but there is very little in his latest comments to be actually offended by.